Bee comb foundation



NOV- 9, 1948 H. c. DADANT BEE COME FOUNDATION Filed May l5, 1944V Patented Nov. 9, i948 ndan of sheets of cardboard `andwaxsheetsliivith a` metal binding strips employed at opposite lateral edges `of a foundation sheet, or along all four edges, said lateral binding strips having clamping relation with `the; endslof `horizontally disposed wiresembedded in the Sheets, or if l thebinding strips are applied to all four edgesand the sheet `has vertical wires `their ends will be likewise clamped against slippage in the top "and bottom metal bindings'tripsso .that the weight of the foundation sheet will be supported by the four metal .binding stripsfandwthe wires to prevent saggingof the .sheet aftenthe bees `lfiavetbuilt up the honeycomb. i

Another" object of theinvention is the pro-` vision of a binding strip which is `U-shaped in cross-.section, and which bastone of the anges inturned1 to `provide an auxiliary lockingomeans for the endsof wires which-are employed in the sheet so that when theianges of thefU shaped binding strips `are clamped `upon'thetwires the foundation sheet will beheld in avertical plane against bulging when additional weightxhas been added thereto by the bees.` i i i i. 1. A further object of the invention is the provision of a reenforcement for bee comb foundations, particularly the wax sheet, in which the reenforcement consists of a surrounding frame composed of U-shaped metal members each having one flange bent inwardly to provide an auxiliary binding strip to receive the ends of wires which are embedded in the wax sheet, with the metal strips being applied to the side edges of the sheet, and similar Ushaped metal binding strips applied to the top and bottom edges of the wax sheet, with one flange of the top and bottom binding strips being extended in the form of a tongue of sufficient length to be nested in coiled relation within the U-shaped binding strips at the sides of the sheet and the auxiliary U- shaped member iorrned by the inturned flange.

i- L ,13. Claims.

j j i {BEE-colui; Fouhnntroin` i t. Henfyonadant Hamiit0n,;,ni.

V This invention )will be best understood ac'dnsidleratioriof thefollowing detail'd'd tion, `^in "view of the iaccompanying drawing nevertheless] it" isf toV be" understood that th`e"`i`ri vention is not conned to the disclosure,` being susceptible of suclilchanges-and modicatinsas define no material departure" from the salient fei tures lo; the `invention as expressed inthe" lpendedclaims. `l= 3 "L" rIntheidrawings:

'mybee combfunldation With partsbl-Qken away Figi 2 is a fragmentary horizontal sectiontaken along the lineZ-Zof Fig; 1y y it.; l. "ll Fig-i3y is la Vhorizontal "sectioni t-akengalbngathe line 3--3 of Fig. 1,l looking downwardly". Fig. .41`is. a". vertical: sectional `view taken on line .fl--itiofFigt` i 'fReferring .'more"` particularly `to fthe drawings, itiwiu :be 1, seenithat a. .frame gnerauy designated bylithe `numeral 20 is Aemployed` for supporting theftvax: foundation sheet' 2|. `This framenconsists of 1.a top? bar 22,\a bottom bar-"invalid side bars!! 'andl25'u TheftopibanZfZ iswidertilial'n.

thelbottom barfzafandwis provided witnairifabbet the upper edge Aof the sheet 2| and `airattaching strip` 121-. i: This.` attaching-istrip `is i securedtdirectl fly'kagainstytthe upperi-dge of `the `top-bindii-ig stripulofw` :sheet `2| when. itacksw or.-nai1sk28bare driven ithroughvthestrip and intoilthe"uppensupporting bar 22. f 1 t l The bottomtbar, 23, l. as shown, isiprovidedil-with aygroove ;30which receives .the lower edge of the foundation -sheet .2 I which.; isi `equipped withla metal binding strip. "rn

. J J. Thegsheet 2| may be. form'edlofwaxi on. some .composition material. provided. with .ai waxtcoaitingu-f;` However., sincey these. sheets` are .customarily formed entirely of wax they are providedwith transverse or horizontal wires 3| and vertical wires 32. The opposite ends of all the wires 3| project beyond the edges of the sheet 2| as shown at 33 and illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. Also, the opposite ends of the vertical wires 32 project beyond the top and bottom edges of the wax sheet. i

A pair of binding strips generally designated by the numeral 35 arelocated in spaced relation with the side edges of sheet 2|. Each binding strip consists of a U-shaped member having l anges 36 and 3l, with the flange 31 bengturned inwardly as shown at 38 to provide an auxiliary U-shaped orreentrant member 39.

`It will be noted that the projecting ends 33 of the horizontal wires 3| are not only received within the main U-shaped members 35, but the extreme'free ends of said wires are also received within the auxiliary U-shaped members 39 so that when pressure is applied to the U-shaped members 35 the ends of the wires will be rigidly clamped into position and maintained against displacement. Therefore, the foundation sheet 2| is maintained against bulging'by the horizontal wires 3| and the U-shaped edge binding strips 35. These binding strips are spaced from the side edges of the sheet with the projecting ends of the f wires 3| spanning the space between the binding strips and the side edges of the wax sheet.

A U-shaped metal binding strip 4D is clamped at the lower edge of the sheet 2l with the lower ends of the YVertical wires 32 projecting into'the' U-shaped strip 40 e Inspection of Fig. 3 will show that one flange 4 vLof the U-shaped member 40`forms a tongue which is extended at 42 beyond the opposite ends of the ysaid U-shaped member and these extensions are received within the verticallydisposed binding strips ,35. The free ends 43 of the extensions 42 are returned upon said extensions and arereceived within the auxiliary U-shaped members 39 in the same manner as are theends of the horizontally disposed wires,3|. Thus, the

lextremities of which project beyond the edges of saidsheet, a reinforcing frame surrounding the sheet'and comprising a pair of parallel bars at opposite sides of the sheet and a secondpair of parallel bars at the top and bottom of the sheet,

'Y each' of said bars'being U-shaped in cross secside binding strips 35 with their particular formationnot only provide means for clamping the free ends of' the wires 3|, but they provide means for retaining the U-shaped member 40 at the bottom of the sheet 2| in position. The U-shaped member 40 may be tacked in place on the bottom bar 23 of theframe if desired.

In the form shown in the drawings, the upper edge `of the sheet is held in a binding strip 40E,

similar to `the strip 40, clamped in position by the attaching strip 21 and since the upper ends y of therside reenforcing strips 35 are also clamped f in position by the strip 21 the side strips 35 will be maintained in parallel relation for maintaining the horizontal Wires 33 taut and likewise the sheet 2 I. Since the lower ends of the binding y strips 35 have interlocking engagement with' the extensions 42 of the flange 4| of the U-shaped binding strip 40 Isaid lower ends of the strips 35 when seated within the bottom groove 3D of the frame `will likewise be maintained in parallel relation for retaining the vertical wires 32 and the sheet 2| taut.

Theitopbinding strip liliL likewise holds th'e upper ends of wires 32 and maintains the upper ends of the side strips 35 properly spaced.

I claim:

1. The combination with a bee comb foundation sheet having transversely extending reinforcing wires the free ends of whi-ch extendbeyond .tion and having one of their flanges bent inwardly forming a reentrant portion for securing the free ends, of said Wires, thel bars comprising one of said pairs being located between the ends of the bars of the other pair and providedat their extremities with tongues secured Within the reentrant bends of the last mentioned bars.

`3. The combination with a bee comb foundation sheet having vertically extending reinforcing wires the free ends of which extend beyond the edges of the sheet, of an outer carrying frame having side pieces, and an inner sheet reinforcing frame supported in said outer frame, said inner frame comprising side pieces of U-shaped Y cross section spaced inwardly from the side pieces of said outer frameand outwardly from the lateral edges of the foundation sheet, said inner frame also comprising top and bottom members of .U-shaped cross section, each member having one ange bent inwardly and forming an auxiliary U-shaped-portion in which the free ends of saidiwires are clamped, said top` and bottom members having at their ends tongues nested between the anges of the side pieces of said inner frame. i

' HENRY C. DADANT.V

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNiTED sTATEs PATENTS d Number Name Date 747,055 Feldmann Dec. 15, 1903 972,299 VanValkenburg Oct. 11, 1910 1,412,457 f Dadant Apr. 11, 1922 2,324,227 Muth July 13, 1943 2,325,043 Dadant et al. July 27, 1943 2,335,044 Dadant et al. Nov. 23, 1943 2,366,182 Dadant et al Jan. 2, 1945 

